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05.11

World Engineering Convention Seeks an Engineering Approach to Addressing Global Energy Challenges

By IEEE-USA Staff

The World Engineering Convention (WEC), 4-8 Sept. 2011, will bring engineers, policy-makers, researchers and industry leaders from around the globe to Geneva, Switzerland around the theme “Engineers Power the World:  Facing The Global Energy Challenge.”   WEC participants will be asked to endorse a statement on behalf of the global engineering community to help inform national and international policy-making on energy and climate change.   In early April, a preliminary report was released with a broad invitation to the engineering community to provide input and comments.

Convention president Reudi Noser, an electrical engineer and member of the Swiss Parliament, explained the purpose of the exercise:  “The peak of cheap oil, global warming, scarcity of resources, risk factors in energy production, higher prices and the war on energy are all creating fear and raising questions.  It is our duty as engineers to help to answer these questions — in a simple and comprehensive way that enables an objective discussion not overshadowed by fear. This is even more important, after the tragic incidents in the nuclear power station in Fukushima, Japan. Time is changing and new answers need to be given, alternatives considered and new solutions presented. We must leave our ivory towers, universities, research laboratories and libraries, contribute to public debate and answer the questions people are asking about the future of our energy supply. Thus the call from Geneva is aimed not only at researchers but at society as a whole.”

Swiss Energy Minister Doris Leuthard expressed her hopes and expectations for the exercise:  “As the Minister responsible for Energy and the Environment, I know that there are neither single nor simple answers to the complex questions in the area of energy. The solutions can be very different, depending on the region. I expect more than just different answers to the many energy-related questions from this global engineering congress. I expect creative and courageous thinking that crosses borders, and an understanding of the different approaches to solutions and interaction across the different disciplines”

The current draft report addresses the question of how our future energy supply can be guaranteed in a sustainable and safe way.  According to Noser, engineers from around the world have concluded that “there is enough green energy to meet the increasing global demand for energy. We already have the technologies we need to achieve an environmentally friendly low-carbon energy supply and rational use of energy. The challenge is to convert, store and transport available energy in a way that is both affordable and causes no damage. “

Framing the Questions

The Call for Input frames seven basic questions for comment:

1. Will our energy consumption continue to rise?

2. Is there sufficient energy to guarantee everyone a similar quality of life?

3. Can the increasing energy demand be met without further deteriorating the global environment or should we reduce drastically our energy consumption?

4. Do we have the technologies to realize a low-carbon energy supply?

5. How much does a low-carbon energy supply cost?

6. Can industrial regions like Europe make these huge investments in their energy supply without losing their competitiveness on the global market?

7. Do we need global decisions or can we already take decisions at the regional level today?

In the preliminary report, each question is supported by a tentative answer stated in the form of a thesis open to support or refutation:

Thesis 1: If everyone is to be guaranteed a decent quality of life and we wish to provide additional energy services to individuals without making significant energy efficiency efforts, global energy consumption is expected to increase by some 40% by 2030.

Thesis 2: There is abundant renewable energy available particularly from solar radiation. The question is whether we have the technologies, the capital, the time and the will to convert these energy sources efficiently and economically without damaging our environment and destabilizing our economies.

Thesis 3: The goal is a low-carbon supply of energy services at reasonable cost. It is important that the GHG emissions generated by the conversion and use of energy, in particular CO₂ emissions, be drastically reduced in order to meet the 2-degree target.

Thesis 4: We already have the knowledge and engineering capabilities we need for several energy-supply technologies and are developing third-generation technologies to guarantee a low-carbon energy supply worldwide. In the transport sector, modifying unsustainable energy consumption patterns will entail difficult adjustments.

Thesis 5: Between 2010 and 2030, additional worldwide investment in energy-related infrastructure and equipment totaling around US$9.3 trillion will be required in the 450 Policy Scenario compared to the current scenario. By 2020, approximately €1 trillion need to be invested to secure the supply of oil, gas and electricity within Europe alone.

Thesis 6: In industrial regions like Europe, investments in a low-carbon energy supply could be carried out at stable or not significantly higher energy costs. This would probably not entail any major disadvantage with respect to Europe’s international competitiveness. The ensuing tremendous gains in innovation through the development of new technologies have not been taken into consideration in the calculation.

Thesis 7: A region with a high per capita percentage of CO₂ emissions can reorganize its energy supply system without necessarily substantially increasing energy costs or creating competitive disadvantages. Thus, there is no a priori reason why global decisions should be necessary. But there must be a willingness to adapt the political framework accordingly.

 The Proposed Conclusions

The framing report also invites comment on six proposed conclusions:

1. To guarantee a decent quality of life for everyone, all available energy sources must be considered. Greater energy efficiency will slow down growth in energy demand, but will entail not necessarily negligible costs.

2. The use of any given technology requires a thorough analysis of the technological, economical, and environmental feasibility of implementing scientifically sound and efficiently engineered solutions.

3. The technologies we need to supply energy for substantially improving global quality of life are available or at an advanced stage of development or are currently being piloted. Pioneer regions will house the dominant industries for the power supply of the future and will on long run gain from high innovation dividends.

4. The goal is to secure a low-carbon energy supply. If the 2-degree target is to be met, it is important that GHG emissions — and CO₂ emissions in particular — be drastically reduced during the production and consumption of different forms of energy.

5. Switching to a low-carbon economy will take substantial investment and time. In the transport sector, modifying unsustainable energy consumption patterns will necessitate difficult adjustments.

6. Single regions or countries could autonomously reorganize their energy supply without necessarily suffering any major competitive disadvantage.

Opportunity to Respond

A copy of the preliminary report and call for engineering input is available on-line at:  http://www.wec2011.ch/call-from-geneva/.   Comments will be accepted through a special WEC blogsite and by email.  For more information on the World Engineering Convention and/or the “Call from Geneva”, visit the WEC2011 website at:  http://www.wec2011.org/

Comments may be submitted to todaysengineer@ieee.org.